Toy safe



Patented Nov. 1,1898. J. KOLESAR.

T 0 Y S A F E (Applicatidn filed Feb. 26, 1898.)

(No Model INVE'NTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY THE N'cnms PETERS co.. momumoq WASHINGTD'L u. c.

Y rain STATES JOSEPH KOLESAR, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

TOY SAFE. Q

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 613,450, dated November 1, 1898.

I Application filed February 26, 1898. Serial No. 671,771. (No model.)

and State of New Jersey, have invented-oer tain new and useful Improvements in Toy Safes or Savings-Banks; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The objects of this invention are to provide a toy safe or savings-bank which shall be highly ornamental and; artistic and at the same time simple and durable, to provide a safe which cannot be opened except by one possessing the peculiar key and a knowledge of its use, to provide a safe from which coins cannot be shaken through the slots, and to secure other advantages and results, some of which may be referred to hereinafter in connection with the description of the working parts.

The invention consists in the improved toy safe or savings-bank and in the arrange ments and combinations of parts, all substantially as will be hereinafter set forth, and finally embraced in the clauses of the claim.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,in which like letters and figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several views, Figure'l shows my improved safe in perspective. Fig. 2 is a plan of the spherical body portion with the dividing-partition in a horizontal plane and the open hemisphere uppermost. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the closed hemisphere, taken on line at, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar section of the open hemisphere, taken on line 00, Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section taken parallel to thedividing-partition on line t Fig. 4, and showing the key inserted in the slot. Fig. 6 is a section taken on line .2, Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a top view, and Fig. 8 is a side View, of the key used in opening said safe.

In said drawings, a indicates the body portion of the safe, which is suitably supported upon a frame I) of any ordinary construction.

Q Said body portion is in shape a hollow sphere,

preferably formed of metal, and has it's surface highly polished to present a pleasing metallic luster and produce a mirror-like reflection. At diametrically opposite points sockets c c are bored into said body portion, receiving pins 0 c, horizontally proj ectin gfrom the frame 19, whereby the body portion a is pivotally supported and is free to rotate upon a horizontal axis. One of the pins, as c, is screwed through the frame into its position, so that it may be withdrawn and the body portion removed.

The body portion a is formed of two hemispherical sections 01 and d, and in these hemispheres are slots e e, adapted to receive coins to be placed in the safe. These slots are similarly placed on the two hemispheres, so that when the safe is complete the slots are symmetrically disposed with reference to the plane dividing the two hemispheres, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 1. On

the inside of the body portion said slots are covered by trap-doors ff, hinged to suitable studs 9 g, and normally held closed by springs h it. These trap-doors prevent coins falling out through the slots as the sphere rotates in its pivotal bearings and also renders it extremely difficult to extract coins from the safe through the slots.

Preferably one of the hemispherical sections, as d,'has a partition i lying in or near the planeof its edges, as shown in the drawings, whereby the interior of said section forms a closed chamber separated from the interior of the other hemisphere in the completed sphere, and I will hereinafter refer to the two sections as the open hemisphere and the closed hemisphere as a means of distinguishing between them.

The closed hemisphere d has interiorly a diametrically-disposed socketed post j, extending upward through the partition 4; and perpendicular thereto. Said socketed post is interiorly threaded to receive a correspond ingly-threaded stem 70, similarly arranged in the open hemisphere d. The two hemispherical sections can thus be screwed together until their edges come into contact and they form a sphere. Said socketed post and threaded stem not only serve to hold the two sections together, but also guide the sections as they approach one another, so that their edges come correctly into contact and form a smooth exterior joint. For this reason the socketed post and threaded stem are both considerably larger than the radius of the sphere and are threaded the greater part of their length. Sufiicient rigidity is thus secured to prevent any lateral movement of the sections in the complete sphere.

At the side of the partition iadjacent to the slot 6' in the closed hemisphere a portion of said partition forminga zone thereof is made separate and removable for a door I. Said door l at its curved edge is supported on a shoulder or rest g, formed, preferably, at or near the end of the stud g to which the trapdoorf,covering the adjacent slot 6, is hinged, and at its edge adjacent to the main portion of the partition 4 said door Z rests upon a flange 2", projecting from the under surface of said main portion of the partition 1'. Said doorZ is locked in closed position bya sliding bolt m on the under side of the door, said bolt m being operated by a finger-piece n on the upper side and connected thereto by a pin 0, as is common in catches. 'Said bolt m is normally held in locking position by a suitable spring 12.

To enable the two hemispherical sections when screwed together to be held against unscrewing, or, in other words, to provide means for locking the safe so that it cannot be opened except by authorized persons, I have provided the locking means next described.

Upon the partition 2' and adjacent to the edge of the hemispherical section of which said partition is a part a suitable bearing (1 is formed, to which is hinged a tongue 9, slightly convexed on its outer surface to lie against the inner surface of the open hemisphere when in vertical position, as shown in Fig. 3. Said tongue ris pressed outward by a spring 4'', so that it lies hard against the inner surface of the sphere, and when the open section 61 is removed falls into the position shown in outline in Fig. 3. The outer longitudinal corners of the said tongue 1 are rounded or beveled off, so that the wedgeshaped edge of a certain finger to be hereinafter described can be inserted between the tongue and contiguous wall of the sphere, as will be more fully explained.

The bearing 1 for the tongue 1" is preferably a continuation or prolongation of the stud g, to which the trap-door f, covering the adjacent slot 6, is hinged. Said stud g thus serves a threefold purpose in affording attachment for the trap-door f, the tongue 0", and a support 9 for the door Z.

It will be evident that the partition 2', separating the two hemispheres, maybe dispensed with, if desired, in some constructions and the whole interionform one chamber, or the number of partitions and slots may be increased to form a greater number of chambers.

On the inner surface of the open hemisphere (Z is soldered or otherwise fastened a projection sin a position to be engaged by the tongue 0' when the edges of the hemispheres are in contact or to be engaged by said tongue once each rotation when the hemispheres are nearly in contact. This projection sis wedge-shaped, as shown in Fig. 5, the side 8, first engaged by the tongue 0' as the hemispheres are being screwed together, being inclined so that said tongue will readily slide up and pass over the projection. The opposite side 8 of said projection, or the side which would be engaged by the tongue 1 if an attempt were made to unscrew the two hemispheres, forms an abrupt shoulder or stop, so that the tongue cannot pass and further unscrewing is rendered impossible. It will thus be understood that the two hemispheres can be readily screwed together, but when once closed will be held by the parts just described against any unscrewing by which the safe may be opened and the contents removed.

To enable the safe to be opened when desired by the proper persons, I have provided a key, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Said key comprises a finger-piece 3, adapted to project outwardly from the surface of the sphere when the key is inserted in operative posi tion, as will be hereinafter described, and oppositely-extending upper and lower arms 4 and 8, adapted to lie adjacent to the outer and inner surfaces of the sphere, respectively. The lower arm 8 is adapted to be inserted in the slot 6' and lie against the inner surface of the sphere, and for this purpose the arm eX- tends downward below the junction of the upper arm 4 with the finger-piece 3 and is in a plane at right angles to said finger-piece. At a point 6 at a distance below the upper arm 4 about equal to the thickness of the walls of the spheres the lower arm 8 is bent fiatwise at right angles, and this portion 7 of the arm has at its extremity and in approximately the same plane a finger 5, projecting at right angles thereto and in the opposite direction from the upper arm 4.

The upper arm 4 is concaved on its under surface to snugly fit the outer surface of the sphere, and this under surface may be covered with a cushioning material 9 to prevent abrasion of the highly-polished exterior of the sphere. Said upper arm 4hasalongitudinal aperture 10, adapted to be brought into coincidence with the slot 6, and a latch 11, having a spur 12, is hinged at the junction of the said arm 4 and the finger-piece 3. This latch 11 maybe shut down flat upon the arm 4and the spur 12 passed through the aperture 10 to enter the slot 6, as will be hereinafter described.

To insert the key into the slot 6, the point of the finger 5 is introduced into the slot, and after it the whole arm 8 is inserted, so that the upper arm 4 lies with its cushioned under side against the outer surface of the sphere. Said key is then forced longitudinally of the slot until the edge 13 of the lower arm is in contact with the end of the slot. The latch 11 is then closed down and the spur 12 enters the slot e with its edge 14 in contact with the adjacent end of the slot 6'. The key is now held rigidlyin place, and the arm 8 lies against the inner surface of the sphere with the finger 5 extending parallel to the joining edges of the hemispheres and between said edges and the projection s. Said finger 5 is made thin at its end, so as to haveasharp edge which will run under the rounded edges of the tongue 1' when the key is inserted into its place. Said finger 5 therefore lies partially under the tongue 4", and the finger is sufficiently bowed or curved to extend farther out from the inner surface of the sphere than the projection 3. Thus as the hemispheres are unscrewed the tongue r, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 5,will slide up over the finger 5 and be carried past the projection 3 without hindrance.

It will be evident that aside from possession of the key its manipulation is so complex that a considerable degree of knowledge as to how to use it is necessary'in order to open the safe. The difficulty of opening the safe is further increased by its having two slots, either of which will admit the key, but a particular one of which must be used to open the safe.

The outer surface of the spherical body portion of the safe may be polished to a sufficiently high degree or otherwise prepared to reflect rays of light, and thus serve as a mirror,which, owing to the shape of the body portion,will be a reducing-mirror. Thus the features rendering the invention useful as a toy may be increased, as will be understood.

The frame in which the sphere is mounted is preferably similar to those used for mounting geographical globes, so that the safe resembles a miniature geographical globe, and

will thus present ornamental features as a piece of bric-a-brac.

The completed device thus serves the threefold purpose of'a safe or savings-bank, a reducing-mirror, and a shelf ornament.

I am aware that various modifications may be made in the construction of my invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the exact arrangement of parts shown, except so far as the state of the art may require.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new is- 1. In a toy safe, the combination of a frame I), coin-receptacle 0;, pivoted in said frame and comprising hollow hemispherical sections adapted to be brought together at their edges, a tongue fastened to one section and extending over the edge of the second section, means arranged upon said second section for engaging the overlapping end of the tongue and preventing separation of the sections, and a key for releasing said tongue from said engagement, substantially as set forth.

2. The herein-described safe or savingsbank comprising hemispherical sections adapted to be screwed together, one of said sections having a tongue hinged on a bearing on the inner wall of the section and near the edge thereof, a spring pressing said tongue outward to lie against the inner surface of the second hemisphere, and a projection on said second hemisphere having one side inclined to allow the tongue to slide up over said projection when screwing the sections together and the other side being abrupt to engage said tongue and prevent unscrewing of the sections, substantially as set forth.

3. In a toy safe the combination of hemi spherical sections adapted to be screwed to gether and being perforated by slots, a tongue arranged near the edge of one section and overlapping the edge of the second, a projection upon said second section lying in the path of said tongue and having one end shaped to allow the tongue to pass said projection when screwing the sections together and the opposite end shaped to normally engage said tongue and stop reverse movement, and a key to be inserted in one of said slots and prevent engagement of said tongue with said projection, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a toy safe composed of two hemispherical sections screwed together, of a tongue projecting from one section, means on the other section to be engaged by said tongue and prevent unscrewing of the sections, and a key having a finger-piece 3, and an arm 8, adapted to relieve said projection from engagement by the tongue and permit an unscrewing of the sections, substantially as set forth.

5. The herein-described safe or savingsbank comprising slotted hemispherical sections adapted to be screwed together, one of said sections having a tongue adapted to engage a projection on the other and prevent unscrewing, and a key to be inserted in one of said slotted sections and having a finger to elevate said tongue above said projection, an arm to lie on the outer surface of the safe, a latch to hold the key rigidly in place and a finger-piece by which the sections may be unscrewed, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing'I I have hereunto set my hand this 23d day of February, 1898.

JOSEPH KOLESAR. Witnesses:

CHARLES H. PELL, C. B. PITNEY. 

